After giving up on mastering Detection, I finally tried out the long-awaited Spider Silk and Poison Attack combo.
The result? Gufufufufu.
Man, I can't wait to test it out in an actual fight.
Hehehe.
After that, I just kept walking.
I didn't encounter any Monsters along the way, so things were perfectly peaceful.
Thanks to my Overeating binge, my stamina wasn't dropping either, so I wouldn't need to hunt Monsters for a while.
In other words, with no Monsters in sight, this was the perfect chance to push forward.
Since just walking was boring, I figured I'd level up some Skills that could be raised even while on the move.
As a result, my five senses Enhancement Skills—Vision Enhancement, Hearing Enhancement, Smell Enhancement, and Touch Enhancement—all reached Level 5.
Along the way, Concentration also went up as a side effect, and it's now Level 8.
Concentration had always leveled up pretty fast to begin with, but with the effect of Pride, it's accelerated even further.
I don't really feel the impact of this Skill all that much given what it does, but it's honestly one of my most effective Skills.
During the ape fight, it was thanks to this that I could stay focused enough to fight under those extreme conditions.
It's unglamorous, but it's got a seriously high contribution.
Now, about the five senses Enhancement Skills—once you hit Level 5, the differences become really noticeable.
My vision, which was already pretty sharp, became even clearer.
If I really focused, I could see the surface of rocks far off in the distance.
Hearing and Smell were the same.
I could pick up every sound and scent inside the labyrinth.
Touch Enhancement, though—I'm not sure if this one is a net positive or negative.
It made me a little too sensitive.
Not in a pervy way, okay?
Don't get your hopes up!
And for any weirdos out there who actually do get their hopes up, I'll wrap you up in a nice cocoon of spider silk and send you straight to the afterlife with my Poison Fang—literally.
Although, for the kinds of lunatics who would say "That's actually a reward in our line of work," even I would probably run away.
Anyway, back to Touch Enhancement.
Specifically, I became so sensitive that I could even feel the flow of the air around me, and it was incredibly unsettling.
Some time has passed and I've gotten a bit used to it, but I think originally you're supposed to level this up slowly over time and gradually acclimate.
I raised it so fast that the sense of disorientation is off the charts.
It's probably going to take a while before I'm completely used to it.
Well, if it ever becomes truly unbearable, I should be able to turn the Skill off, so I'll do that if I have to.
If anything, I'd probably turn off Smell Enhancement more often.
I have no desire to use my enhanced sense of smell to sniff something stinky on purpose.
Come to think of it, there doesn't seem much point in getting a Taste Enhancement Skill.
The Monsters in this labyrinth taste terrible.
I've never encountered a Monster that tasted good.
Some of them, like those Snail Insects, are so disgusting they should be outlawed.
Speaking of which, I haven't seen any Snail Insects around for a while.
Before the apes attacked, they were everywhere.
Now I look around and there's not a single one.
Where did they all go?
Ahh, it's so hot.
I want air conditioning.
I'm the kind of person who turns into a half-hikikomori in a room with AC during summer—asking me to walk around in this heat is just cruel.
As a frail little thing, I can't handle heat or cold.
…Heat?
Wait a second, heat?
This labyrinth always maintained a comfortable temperature whether you were in the Upper Layer or the Lower Layer—never too hot, never too cold—and now it's hot?
I slowly looked around.
There were no Monsters nearby.
I didn't feel any particular danger either.
And yet, my body was sensing a change in the environment.
I peered down the path along the wall.
It was subtle, but gradually—really, just barely—the path was inclining upward.
Up.
Up!
It's going UP!
Oh my god, I did it!
Finally, FINALLY!
Going up means... it means what I think it means, right?
Of course it does!
This is the path from the Lower Layer to the Middle Layer!
Woo-hoo!
I did it!
This route was the right call!
With this, I can escape this nightmare of a Lower Layer!
No more cowering in fear of the Earth Dragons!
No more being swarmed by hordes of apes!
No more having to sneak around hiding from monstrous Monsters!
I broke into a run without thinking.
Speed-focused build for the win.
I was sprinting up the slope at a pace that even surprised myself.
But my yellow stamina gauge couldn't keep up.
Hah... hah...
Ugh.
So even with speed, you can't maintain it without Burst power.
That was a blind spot.
In a pinch, I could always drain the red stamina gauge to keep running—I've done it before during the Geji fight and it's not impossible—but I should file this away as one of my weaknesses.
More importantly, I'm almost at the top of the slope.
Once I crest this hill, it'll be the Middle Layer I've only dreamed about.
What a long journey it's been.
It all started when I got chased by a snake and accidentally fell into the Lower Layer.
From there, it was crisis after crisis.
Almost killed by bees, almost killed by Earth Dragons, passed through a stronghold of powerful Monsters, almost killed by the sheer awfulness of Snail Insects, almost killed by apes.
I've been almost killed over and over.
I'm amazed I'm still alive.
My life has been way too dramatic.
At this point, I think a few good things happening to me wouldn't jinx anything.
But with this, I'm finally done with that life of living on the edge!
Goodbye, Lower Layer!
Hello, Middle Layer!
At the top of the slope, a scorching landscape of magma stretched out in every direction.
I've added a monologue to my activity report.